A New Coach is Born

■ Something Happy

The other day, something very happy happened.

I heard the news that a student who used to practice badminton with me when they were in junior high school, about 10 years ago, had started coaching at a local junior high school.

I have been a badminton coach for over 35 years, but it is rare for a student to decide they want to become a coach.

In the first place, children practice because they want to get better and win matches, so it is very rare for someone to practice with the goal of becoming a coach from the start.

She also loves playing herself, but she learned that the current junior high school lacks advisors who can teach badminton and that the club activities were not functioning, so she took on the role of coach herself.

■ A Junior Coach's Worries

Of course, I have experienced my first year as a coach, so I understand the difficulties well.

When I asked her, "Is there anything you're struggling with?", the reply I got was,

"I don't know where to start."

Those were her words.

I chuckled a bit because it was the answer I expected, but since she is a junior coach who has finally started on the path of instruction, I asked again, "What are you having the most trouble with?"

She replied, "I'm having trouble because there are many children who can't hit a long serve."

When I said, "It's natural in a way that they can't hit a long serve, and it's actually more impressive if a child can hit one from the start," she looked confused and said this:

"I could hit them from the start, so I don't understand why there are children who can't..."

■ The Reason Why It's "Natural Not to Be Able to Hit"

So, I asked her one question.

"Aren't your right arm and left arm almost the same length?"

She looked a bit blank and answered, "Yes, I think they are almost the same," and I continued:

"Even though the arm holding the shuttle and the arm holding the racket are almost the same length, the dominant side holding the racket becomes about 60cm longer, so it's no wonder that they swing and miss or can't hit it well at first."

When she heard that, she let out a "Whoa!" and her eyes went wide.

I also take in children who cannot serve every year, so I understand well how difficult it is to teach.

It is the only shot in badminton where you hold the shuttle yourself and hit it from a stationary position, so it looks easy at first glance, but it actually has an aspect of being "difficult precisely because you cannot move."

"I was also the type who could hit it from the start, but if a coach says 'I don't know,' they can't help a child who can't hit it. It's important to put yourself in the shoes of the child who can't hit it and observe what the cause is that prevents them from hitting it well."

After I told her that and explained the steps of the "long serve teaching method" that I usually practice one by one, she was surprised again, her eyes wide, saying, "Do you do this for every child who can't serve!?"

■ In Conclusion

If you stick with it patiently, the long serve is something that one day, suddenly, they will grasp the knack for and be able to hit.

I hope that she, as a new coach, will do her best while savoring the difficulty of this trial and error as a "joy of coaching."

The expression the children show when they hit a really good serve by a "fluke"—that "I did it!" look—is a moment so happy that it makes the fatigue of the day fly away.

They look back at you with the best expression, the kind you get when you eat something you've never had before and it tastes better than you imagined.

I hope that she, as a new coach, will get to experience many such wonderful expressions from now on.